Mobile Is Redefining Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Historically, Black Friday has been one of the biggest sales events of the year. Stores are jammed with sleepy-eyed holiday shoppers in the wee hours of the morning seeking to score great deals on gifts. But with the growth of wireless technology and mobile shopping, consumers have started ditching the dawn door-buster deals for online bargains that they can get on Cyber Monday.

Cyber Monday sales reached $1.75 billion in 2013, making it the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. As more people adopt more mobile lifestyles, shoppers are relying on their smartphones and tablets to make holiday gift purchases.

Add to the growing dollar figure the amount of people using mobile devices to inform their shopping choices. The trend is clear when you consider an estimated 59 percent of all shoppers have used mobile devices to make Black Friday shopping easier. During last year’s holiday season, mobile purchases accounted for 21.8 percent of online sales, and mobile shopping overall increased 34 percent.

All this, of course, affects retailers too. Online promotions are expected earlier than in previous years and more offers of free shipping are expected. Not to be outdone, brick-and-mortar stores are also adapting to mobile trends. To keep customers engaged, retailers are incorporating mobile devices into the customer shopping experience. Mobile payment services such as Softcard Mobile Wallet* are encouraging even more retailers into e-commerce.

To help with gift giving this holiday season, Verizon Wireless will publish a “‘Tis the Season for Tech Gifts” series that kicks off next week. Check back for suggestions for the music lover, fitness buff and avid tech junkie, among others on your list.

*UPDATE: Google and Softcard have completed an agreement that will leverage the best technology from both companies to create a more robust mobile wallet for consumers. The mobile payment system will keep the Google Wallet name. Read more here.